In almost all cases, I think exporting a function would be better then exporting a variable. Another term for exporting a variable is called a "global variable", and most programmers feel that they are not a clean way to do programming. There is nothing wrong with having a subroutine that returns a scaler. Don't get me wrong though, there are times when global variables are useful or necessary, and TMTOWTDI applies.

As a matter of fact though, it is actually possible to avoid both, if you ever decide to get into Object Oriented programming (OOP). I know you're just getting started, so don't feel pushed. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, as various discussions around here lately have proven. But it is a given that overall, OOP is considered cleaner then standard procedural programming, and you don't have to bother with exporting anything.

For more information on OOP, check out "perldoc perlboot"
-Eric.

---

---

• Are you posting in the right place? Check out Where do I post X? to know for sure.
• Posts may use any of the Perl Monks Approved HTML tags. Currently these include the following:

  <code> <a> <b> <big> <blockquote> <br /> <dd> <dl> <dt> <em> <font> <h1> <h2> <h3> <h4> <h5> <h6> <hr /> <i> <li> <nbsp> <ol> <p> <small> <strike> <strong> <sub> <sup> <table> <td> <th> <tr> <tt> <u> <ul>

• Snippets of code should be wrapped in <code> tags not <pre> tags. In fact, <pre> tags should generally be avoided. If they must be used, extreme care should be taken to ensure that their contents do not have long lines (<70 chars), in order to prevent horizontal scrolling (and possible janitor intervention).
• Want more info? How to link or How to display code and escape characters are good places to start.